TÜV SÜD offers performance testing of alarm receiving centres (ARCs) in accordance with the European EN 50518 standard and supplies certification under ISO/IEC 17065. By doing so, the international testing and certification service provider assists operators to implement the standard in compliance with the legal requirements. TÜV SÜD has successfully tested and certified numerous ARCs in Germany and other European countries since EN 50518 was introduced.

“The introduction of EN 50518 has now established a harmonised European standard for alarm receiving centres”, says Alexander Gottwald, head of the responsible inspection body at TÜV SÜD. The three-part standard imposes strict requirements for secure and reliable operation of alarm receiving centres, focusing on location and construction requirements (Part 1), technical equipment requirements (Part 2) and procedures and requirements for operation (Part 3).

“While these standards only serve as recommendations, operators of alarm receiving centres should ultimately have their centres assessed with an eye to liability risks, and make upgrades or changes as necessary”, warns Gottwald. In the event of an incident, the operator of an ARC must furnish proof of its compliance with technical regulations and the state of the art. In addition to deterministic requirements, Gottwald points to risk analyses as a key tool for assessing existing alarm receiving centres and for implementing the requirements of the requisite standards in planning and constructing new facilities.

“The standard has had a positive impact on the business continuity of alarm receiving centres in the European Union”, affirms Alexander Gottwald. Since EN 50518 was launched in 2010, TÜV SÜD’s experts have already certified ARCs in Germany, Austria and French Switzerland, with further projects currently ongoing in the UK, Scandinavia and Liechtenstein.

Since March 2016, certificates have been issued by a certification body holding EN ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation from the national accreditation body for Germany (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle, DAkkS). This new accreditation builds on existing DAkkS accreditation under EN ISO/IEC 17020.